THREE’S (NOT) A CROWD
Yamaha's been busy knocking out three wheelers foe the past few years - and now it's released one that car drivers can ride without taking a test. It' ll sit at 70mph, barrel down bumpy roads and take two helmets under its seat. Is this the start of a thr
Three-wheeled vehicles have some peculiar licencing requirements. You'd probably think that you're obliged to pass a motorcycle test if you're riding something that leans from side to side. But you'd be wrong. It all depends. If the front wheels are more than 460mm apart it is legally classified as a tricycle; meaning you can ride it if you' re over 21 and hold a ‘B’ car licence. That's the case for Yamaha's latest leaning multiwheeler, the Tricity 300.
Of course, that means there's a potentially massive audience that could be tempted to swap four wheels for three, and swing their leg over this thing each morning to head into work. That's what Yamaha think anyway. But just because you can ride a Tricity 300 on a car licence without any additional training or testing doesn’t mean you should. Yamaha told us its dealers are going to encourage punters to undertake a bit of training if they're not used to riding motorcycles or scooters. That's a good thing.
Compulsary Basic Training would be a good place to start. It'll take a day, cost you about £100 and equip you with the some basic riding skills - and offer the opportunity to spend a bit of time on the road being watched by an eagle-eyed instructor. Of course, if you're reading this magazine, you'll likely know your stuff - but as the Tricity has the potential to be ridden by car licence holders, it's important for us to cover all bases.
If you’ve never ridden a motorcycle or scooter before, the first thing you’ll notice will be the size of the thing. It’s a big scooter – tall, wide and heavy; but somehow, not ungainly. I’m 6 foot and a bit and had no problems getting my feet flat on the floor and moving it around. If you’re a little shorter and can’t reach, don’t worry. Yamaha’s come up with a clever bit of technology that’s as simple as it is brilliant.
The ‘Standing Assist’ feature allows you to lock the leaning system up front as you’re coming to a halt. Only available at speeds below 6mph, all you’ve got to do to activate it is tap a button on the left hand switchgear. Easy. And when you want to get moving and leaning again, just open the throttle or double tap the button.